-The Times of India By announcing the direct cash transfer scheme and fielding senior ministers from the Congress platform, the Manmohan Singh government may have risked the ire of the Election Commission (EC). The election watchdog will meet on Sunday to deliberate over opposition BJP's complaint that cash transfers are essentially a poll sop, unveiled ahead of the Gujarat assembly election. The timing of the announcement in November although the scheme is to...

-Outlook The Gujarat High Court on Friday struck down a directive of the Election Commission of India terming the limitations on cash movement above a stated limit as unconstitutional The Gujarat High Court on Friday struck down a directive of the Election Commission of India terming the limitations on cash movement above a stated limit as unconstitutional, drastic and violative of personal liberty and privacy of individuals even if it was...

-The Hindustan Times Gujarat's tribal voters, who traditionally favour the Congress, have received a pre-poll sweetener from chief minister Narendra Modi. Barely two weeks before the model code of conduct came into effect on October 3 with the announcement of two-phase polls in December, the Modi government decided to reconsider nearly 75,000 "rejected" claims from tribals on forest land. The ruling Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) decision  is being seen as a move to...

-The Indian Express Firebrand leader who rose swiftly till downfall She rose swiftly through the ranks, having made her mark as a firebrand leader who had saffron politics as part of her legacy. Mayaben Surendrabhai Kodnani, convicted of murder, conspiracy and spreading communal hatred, is the daughter of a staunch RSS worker who had suffered the pains of Partition, moving from Tharparkar in Sind province to Deesa in Gujarat. Kodnani, the first sitting...

-The Economic Times Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao has said the proposed elimination of fuel subsidy can lead to a massive 2.6% spike in inflation, an assessment that makes it even more difficult for the government to bite the bullet. While a hike in diesel and cooking gas prices may be long overdue, the government is hard-pressed to contain inflation ahead of crucial assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh...